As the popularity of bicycles increases, manufacturers and riders have sought to make bicycles that are stronger and more light-weight. Indeed, reducing the weight of a bicycle without comprising its strength can provide a rider with a competitive advantage. One area in which manufacturers have recently focused on to reduce bicycle weight is the seat, the seat post, and the assembly that connects the seat to the seat post.
Many popular seat designs include a seat post, upper and lower clamping members, a fastener, two parallel support rods, and a saddle. The upper and lower clamping members are attached to the seat post with the fasteners, and are adapted to clamp the two parallel support rods, which in turn are attached to a bottom portion of the saddle. Examples of such bicycle seat designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,244,301, 5,823,618, and 5,979,978, all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Although popular, these seat designs include a large number of parts, which not only results in the seat assembly being relatively heavy but also results in increased equipment and labor costs. In addition, because the fastening bolts used to attach the upper and lower clamping members to the parallel support rods are typically accessed from underneath the seat saddle, assembly can be cumbersome.
Other seat assemblies have been proposed that eliminate the parallel support bars and fasteners discussed above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,121, which is incorporated by reference herein, includes a seat post having a serrated concave portion that mates with a convex serrated portion attached to the bicycle seat. However, the bolt that attaches the seat post to the seat is accessible only from beneath the seat, and is therefore somewhat cumbersome to attach or remove the seat from the seat post. In addition, the bolt is not aligned with the seat post, and therefore is exposed to lateral moments that can weaken the bolt and reduce the strength and durability of the seat assembly with use.
Thus, there is a need for a bicycle seat assembly that has a minimum number of parts, is light-weigh yet very strong and durable, and which allows for faster and more convenient assembly and disassembly.
Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the drawing figures.